The Red Wings are not exactly going on a late-season charge. A big day for Miguel Sano. Elizabethton closes out its season in style.
BUFFALO 6, ROCHESTER 3 IN ROCHESTER
Batting stars: Josmil Pinto was 2-for-4 with two doubles and scored once. Eric Farris was 2-for-3 and scored once.
Pitching star: Kyle Gibson started and struck out four in four shutout innings, giving up two hits and four walks.
Opposition stars: Kyle Drabek started and struck out six in four innings, allowing one run on four hits and no walks. Andy LaRoche was 2-for-4 with a walk and a three-run homer. Mike Nickeas was 0-for-2 with three walks and scored twice.
Key inning: The seventh. The Bisons trailed 3-0. Logan Darnell was beginning his third inning. A walk, a single, and an error loaded the bases with none out and A. J. Achter came in. He retired the first batter, but Luis Jimenez hit a two-run single and LaRoche followed with a three-run homer to give Buffalo a 5-3 lead.
Prospect watch: Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-4. Chris Parmelee was 0-for-4. Aaron Hicks was 1-for-4 with a triple, scoring once and driving in one.
Pennant race update: The Red Wings have been eliminated from the division, but continue to trail Norfolk by a half game in the wild card race. Their elimination number is four.
NEW BRITAIN 7, READING 3 IN NEW BRITAIN
Batting stars: Miguel Sano was 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs (his eighteenth and nineteenth) and three RBIs. Jordan Parraz was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two. Nate Hanson was 2-for-4 and scored twice.
Pitching stars: Dakota Watts struck out three in two perfect innings. Corey Williams struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks.
Opposition stars: Kelly Dugan was 3-for-4. Maikel Franco was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in one. Jim Murphy was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Key inning: The sixth. The Rock Cats trailed 3-2. With one out, Hanson singled and Sano hit a two-run homer to give New Britain the lead. Reynaldo Rodriguez singled and Daniel Ortiz and Brad Boyer walked, loading the bases with two out. Parraz then hit a two-run single to give the Rock Cats a 6-3 advantage.
FORT MYERS 4, BRADENTON 3 IN FORT MYERS
Batting stars: Stephen Wickens was 3-for-3, scoring once and driving in one. Mike Kvasnicka was 2-for-4 and scored once.
Pitching stars: Taylor Rogers struck out five in four shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks. Tyler Duffey pitched a perfect inning. Zach Jones pitched a perfect perfect inning, striking out all three batters he faced.
Opposition stars: Robert Kilcrease struck out three in three innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks. Carlos Mesa was 1-for-3 with a home run.
Key inning: The sixth. The Marauders trailed 3-0. Chad Rodgers came in to pitch and immediately gave up a home run to Mesa. Benji Gonzalez and Gift Ngoepe singled to put runners on first and second. Both runners advanced on a foul out, a ground out scored one, and a wild pitch tied the game. In the bottom of the inning, Kennys Vargas drew a one-out walk and scored on a double by Matt Koch to put Fort Myers back in the lead.
Prospect watch: Byron Buxton was 1-for-4. Dalton Hicks was 0-for-4 with an RBI. Vargas was 0-for-2 with two walks and scored once.
CEDAR RAPIDS 8, KANE COUNTY 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS
Batting stars: Niko Goodrum was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run (his fourth) driving in three. Jorge Polanco was 1-for-3 with two walks and a home run, his fifth. Michael Quesada was 1-for-2 with two walks and a triple, scoring once and driving in two.
Pitching stars: Josue Montanez pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts. Dallas Gallant pitched a scoreless inning, giving up no hits and no walks with one strikeout. Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and no walks with one strikeout.
Opposition stars: Carlos Escobar was 3-for-4 with a double. Reggie Golden was 2-for-4.
Key inning: The fourth. The score was tied at two. Max Kepler led off with a home run. Oddly, this home run gave birth to a rally. Walks to Mike Gonzales and Bo Altobelli put two on with one out. Quesada tripled them both home and came around to score on a double by Joel Licon. Jonathan Murphy followed with a single, and Goodrum doubled home two to make the score 8-2.
Prospect watch: Kepler was 1-for-4 with a home run, his ninth. Adam Brett Walker II was 1-for-4.
ELIZABETHTON 8, PULASKI 7 IN ELIZABETHTON (12 INNINGS)
Batting stars: Rory Rhodes was 4-for-6 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one. Zach Larson was 3-for-6 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in two. Zach Granite was 2-for-4 with three walks and a triple, scoring once and driving in two.
Pitching stars: Yorman Landa pitched six shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Austin Malinowski struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks.
Opposition stars: Jeffrey Zimmerman was 4-for-6 with a triple and an RBI. Tyler Smith was 2-for-6 with a double, scoring once and driving in three. Noel De La Cruz pitched four innings, allowing an unearned run on three hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
Key inning: The twelfth. The Twins had led 5-0, trailed 6-5, and led 7-6 before going to extra innings tied at seven. With two out and none on, Logan Wade singled and scored the winning run on a Granite triple.
Prospect watch: Romy Jimenez was 1-for-6 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.
Elizabethton ends its season with a record of 37-31. They finished third in the Appalachian League West, 3.5 games behind Kingsport and one game behind Greeneville for the last playoff spot.
TODAY'S TILTS
5:30 Fort Myers (Matt Tomshaw, 4-4, 4.04) at Bradenton (Robby Rowland, 4-11, 4.88)
6:00 Cedar Rapids (Tim Shibuya, 3-0, 1.26) at Clinton (David Holman, 4-7, 3.16)
6:05 Buffalo (Drew Hutchison, 0-2, 6.46) at Rochester (P. J. Walters, 6-5, 4.25)
6:05 Reading (Bobby Bramhall, 1-3, 3.58) at New Britain (Trevor May, 9-9, 4.48)